


Noah's Crushes

by delusionaldreamer



Category: Scream (TV)
Genre: F/M, Noah/Emma only mentionned, Noah/Riley only mentionned, Noah/Zoe only mentionned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 15:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7578703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delusionaldreamer/pseuds/delusionaldreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noah has crushes and Audrey helps him in any way that she can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noah's Crushes

Four.

That’s the number of times Noah Foster recalls confiding in someone about his feelings. For every single one of those times, Audrey Jensen was the one who lended a sympathetic ear.

It’s not like he was forcing her to sit for hours on end, listening to him go through a mental list of arrogant jocks he wanted to punch before finally getting to the juicy stuff, the matters of the heart. In fact, Audrey did enjoy having heart-to-hearts with Noah, those reminded her that he was, in fact, like other teenagers their age, interested in girls and and that he was not just some crazed psychopath in the making.

The moon was currently high up in the sky, looking like a wheel of cheese, and Audrey lounging in her PJs in his room. His peers would never understand what they're doing because Noah was a guy and social norms dictate that guys shouldn’t be having sleepovers with their friends to gush over their crush. But Noah didn’t care – if he wanted to have his best friend over, he would! Screw the jerks who attacked his masculinity over something so trivial.

In all honesty, Noah, too, had concerns about his social status at school. He was in high school after all, the place where you make it or break it and up until now, he has not been making it. The throwing-of-crumpled-paper-at-the-back-of-his-head part, he could look past. Even the shoving into lockers, he could forgive...begrudgingly. Words, however, were the most damaging weapon one can possess and at times, have prevented Noah from truly seeing why high school should be the best four years of his life.

He blamed his parents for the treatment he was given at school; why couldn’t they have sent him away to summer camp in his preteen days so he could learn to be like an all-american teenager instead of letting him stay home and turn into a horror movie aficionado?

Thankfully, Noah wasn’t completely alone in his veneration of cult flicks. A tough, sarcastic and impulsive partner in crime was by his side, harshly retaliating against those who tormented them. Audrey Jensen was, without a doubt, the best thing that has ever happened to him. Which was exactly why he called her over in a state of panic over an hour ago.

“Okay, Noah. I get that you want to kill Jake but please, can we get to the part where you tell me about the girl you like? I’m literally falling asleep over here,’’ Audrey stifled a yawn. If she had known he would take this long to get to his point, she would’ve taken over his bed instead of sitting uncomfortably on the hardwood floor.

“Scoot over,’’ she rose to her feet with difficulty, climbing on his bed. Noah did as told and readjusted himself into his propped up position. He looked at her inquisitively, wondering how she found out about his secret crush, as she laid flat on her back, their faces leveled. It was at times like this that he remembered that she was a girl and that she was probably more knowledgeable about these kinds of things than he was... But not by much.

Audrey hummed contentedly; maybe it was the bed or maybe it was her best friend’s presence, but every time she was in his room, it felt like being held in a warm embrace. She folded one arm behind her head and thrust her chin in his direction.

“Spill it. Who do you have your eyes set on, lover boy?”

Even picturing Riley Marra could brighten up his day. She was so nice and smart – and how could he forget, pretty? – Noah couldn’t figure out for the life of him why she was hanging out with the airheads in their arch nemesis’ gang. Were they blackmailing her, forcing her to do their calculus homework for them? It was a bit racist of him to think that but no matter how many possibilities he ran in his mind, he couldn’t come up with a single reason as to why she’d voluntarily stick with them. Knowing Audrey, he bet that she would say it was all part of a certain evil red-haired girl’s plot to get him to fall in love with the enemy. Regardless, he needed to tell Audrey because she would find out eventually and sooner was better than later. He cleared his throat, blinking nervously.

“Before you start beating me up, I need to remind you that you can’t choose who you like, okay?” Noah put his hands up in defense, fearing an outburst of physical violence. Contrary to the popular saying, Audrey’s bark was as bad as her bite.

Audrey narrowed her eyes. Why would she want to beat him up? Never in a million years would she form a biased opinion on the person he liked. Unless he broke their pact and harbored feelings for... No. No, no, no. She immediately sat upright and her brows knitted in a frown.

“Please tell me you don’t like Nina or I’m going to skin you alive,’’ she hissed, knuckles turning white as she prayed to God she got it wrong.

They locked eyes and an ill-timed silence settled between them. Noah was stunned by her guess; not only did she know he had a crush on a girl but she even guessed that she was in Nina’s circle of friends! Still trying to grasp how Audrey pulled off that feat, he stared at her, not denying or acknowledging the allegations thrown at him.

In Audrey’s book, no response means an affirmative and an affirmative in this particular situation deserved a swat to the back of the head.

“Ow!’’ Noah yelped, rubbing the sore spot where he got hit, “Audrey, listen– ‘’

Stopping mid-sentence, he pursed his lips into a tight line; he didn’t even know why he still bothered trying to explain himself when she was as stubborn as a mule, always jumping to conclusions before he could present the facts. He kept quiet as he waited for her to unleash her wrath; he’ll clear up the misunderstanding as soon as she comes up for air.

“Noah, you dick! How – how could you?’’ she stammered, shocked at the unexpected turn of events, “you know how evil Nina is, you know better than anyone what she did to us – to me!’’ The look she gave him turned from disbelief to betrayal. He avoided the raging fire dancing in her irises, and instead ran his free hand on the bed and played with an unravelling thread from his blanket, hiding a sly grin. Oh, he couldn’t wait to see her squirming from embarrassment when he reveals who he actually was interested in...

Audrey took deep breaths, trying to keep her emotions in check but failing miserably. “Out of all the girls in the world, it had to be Nina. Nina freaking Patterson aka the one person whose voice only could make me lose my sanity! Seriously, dude?!”

The corners of his mouth lifted up, his bone-chilling gaze peering through her soul. The aloofness in his eyes freaked the hell out of Audrey. The hair on her arms rose as he rolled onto his back and held onto his tummy, a roar of laughter escaping his mouth.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You think this is funny?!” It took her every ounce of self-control not to leave him a memento in the shape of a handprint to the cheek.

From time to time, Noah took pleasure in riling up Audrey – not that she needed any help from him. There was this sadistic side to him that enjoyed watching her lose her cool especially when he was the one causing it.

“Riley. The girl I like, it’s Riley,” he finally confessed, bringing an end to the suffering he inflicted upon her. The frown lines on her forehead dissipated and her palpitating heart slowly steadied as she took in the information.

 _Riley... Huh_ , she said to herself, wondering when Noah started getting into asian girls.

He sat up, legs crossed, waves of shyness suddenly engulfing him. The lovestruck teenage boy looked down and began drawing patterns on his clothed thigh.

“She’s one of the nicer popular girls... She’s genuinely nice, like I totally get the vibe that she disapproves of Nina’s monstrous personality. And you know what’s the best part about Riley?” he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly, an open-mouthed smile adorning his face, “I have a low-key feeling that she likes me too!”

“Shit, Noah. You should really take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make sure you don’t die a virgin,” she teased him, her anger having subsided after realizing she overreacted. He had this not-so-secret bucket list hidden in his bedside table, which she totally stumbled upon when she was looking for batteries, and listed in the top ten was his wish to enter his senior year of high school a man.

“Thanks for your sincere concern,’’ he scoffed, “no, but seriously, it’s the first time I’ve been in a situation where the feeling is mutual-ish. Should I call her? Wait, I don’t even have her number... “ He scratched his chin, coming up with an unconventional way of getting himself noticed, “I could infiltrate her computer and leave a note on her desktop but I’m not sure she would appreciate my borderline invasive hacking...”

Audrey chortled, relishing in Noah’s uncertainty, something she seldomly witnessed. The utter confusion he displayed was almost too innocent for her. She regained her composure and directed her attention back to him.

“Well, are there any signs that she might even be remotely interested in you? Like, I don’t know, she laughs hysterically when you tell bad jokes...?’’ He nodded.

Whenever he would pass by Riley in the hallway, she would wave him hello, revealing her adorable dimples. She would be the one to strike up a conversation with him in class and insist on continuing where they left off when she saw him again.

That has to mean something, he would pump himself up full of hope after each encounter.

While passions for academia ran high at their age and usually fell into two restricted categories – sports and arts – Noah’s unsettling love for all things gory caught Riley’s attention. Someone who didn’t fit the mold, someone driven by matters other than getting to third base with a girl, that’s what she saw in Noah Foster and she liked what she saw.

“Yeah, she likes you, ‘’ Audrey said, glad for him but also worried it will amount to nothing, ‘’but dude, you have no game! I’ve seen you talk to girls and boy am I glad you’re not interested in me.”

Noah crunched his nose, sticking his tongue out playfully.

Admitting it wasn’t easy but Audrey was right, he seriously lacked basic conversational skills with females; when he wasn’t bringing up obscure references about last decade’s most tragic bloodsheds, he was blabbering uncontrollably about the latest Musk electric jet – two subjects that few girls found sexy.

He brought his hands to his head and let out a small frustrated grunt. How is it that douchebags like Jake managed to get so many romantic prospects but he couldn’t even get one? Sure, Jake had the body but apart from that, there was no other redeemable quality about him!

Pensive, he lowered a hand to rub his baby-smooth chin, feeling Audrey’s weight shifting on the bed. She laid her head on his thigh and glanced up at him, knowing he would speak soon after formulating his thoughts into coherent sentences.

There must be a way to ensure that his next interaction with Riley goes without a hitch and he knew exactly what he had to change; his heightened state of nervousness around her. Just thinking about having an encounter with Riley made his heart beat faster. And that was one of the milder symptoms. His tongue laying like a foreign object in his own mouth, avalanche of sweat pouring into his palms and sudden unfamiliarity with his own limbs was nothing out of the ordinary in such cases. Most girls he talked to assumed he was born with a stutter but really, that was just their effect on him. He had almost come to terms with the fact that he’ll end up a hermit, still, he had the tiniest sliver of hope Audrey Jensen would save him from loneliness like she has done so many times.

Like amateur baseball players would someday do the same to their first baseball, an idea struck him.

He relaxed his posture, holding himself up by his outstretched hands on either side of his body and softly blew on Audrey’s bangs to catch her attention. She put her phone down with a grimace and fixed her messy fringe. Looking up at him through her dark mascara-coated eyelashes, she motionned for him to speak.

“I need you to pretend you’re Riley so I can practise asking her out. Teach me how to flirt with the ladies.”

She rolled the silver hoop on her cartilage between her thumb and her index, considering his plea. Noah was crushing really hard on Riley so what kind of best friend would she be if she refused this simple request?

“Yeah, sure,’’ she shrugged.

‘’Awesome! But you have to act a bit more like her,” he helped her up, pointing to where he wanted her to be, which was near the door. “Be the girl your parents always wanted you to be, I know you have it in you.

Sluggishly, she dragged her feet all the way to the door. On her way there, she grabbed a few books from his desk, holding them against her chest, to which Noah slow-clapped; she was getting into character.

“And action!’’ he strode towards her, his footsteps light and swift. He promised himself that the next time he sees Riley, he’ll gather his courage to ask her out. After 16 years, it was time to man up.

Audrey flipped her imaginary silky black hair and flashed him a sweet smile. She skipped in his direction, beaming at him in an almost creepy way. She was clearly overexaggerating Riley’s girliness but she didn’t care, she’s an artist and that was her interpretation of the character. She cleared her throat before speaking in an overconfident tone.

“Hey Noah, what did you think of Mr. Branson’s outfit today? I thought it was so 2004,” she rolled her eyes, flailing her arms in outrage, ‘’And his hair! Oh god, don’t even get me started on that side part– “ Needless to say, Noah cut her off, disapproving immensely with her portrayal of the person of interest.

“ –Um, what was that?’’ Noah gawked at her, his eyebrows rising like Beyoncé’s fame after leaving Destiny’s Child.

“Oh, I assumed that’s all they talk about,’’ she said.

Was she messing with him? Sarcasm was one of Noah’s forte but even he had trouble distinguishing it from Audrey’s usual daily speech. In spite of the flatness of her tone, he couldn’t tell that she was being serious. He exhaled through his nostrils and lowered his head, defeat appearing to have consumed him – maybe he was going to end up alone at 47 with twelve cats afterall.

The apparent lack of conviction plastered on his face instantly made her feel guilty.

“Okay, okay, jeez. Let’s do it again,” she turned her heels away from him to compose herself and start over.

She couldn’t quite explain it but there was this especially strange expression he’d make when it seemed like he had lost all hope in humanity that caused her heart to ache unbelievably hard. Profound sadness perhaps it was or maybe all those years of studying psychopaths have finally paid off and he’s simply able to get her to feel apologetic towards him in no time at all. The thought had cross her mind a few times in the past but she knew she had nothing to fear; he could not hurt anyone. Especially not the Bi-curious to his Virgin.

“Hey, what did you think of the chemistry test? I have a feeling I tanked it,” she said, in her normal voice, earning herself a grateful nod from the boy. Yes, this was the fake Riley Noah wanted to practise-ask on a date.

“With my genius IQ, I’m pretty sure I aced it,” he said, slowly processing how arrogant he came off, “Wow, that is not what I meant.’’

In no less than eight seconds, all traces of his eloquency flew by the window. Audrey patted his shoulder comfortingly, she knew conversing with that one special person could be nerve-wracking. All she could do for him was to offer advice that has proved to bring success countless of times.

“Take it easy, just pretend you’re talking to me. Stop trying to impress Riley and, I know it’s cliché, but be yourself. It’ll go a whole lot better than trying to be cool.”

If there was one thing he was certain about, it was that girls preferred cool guys. But maybe, times have changed and geeks are now considered the new Ryan Reynolds.

The second time they rehearsed Noah’s romantic escapade invitation, he somehow went off on a tangent and listed the worst ways to die, even going as far as giving her the specifics about the most commonly feared death. Audrey smacked him in the forehead and had him swear to never bring up anything related to death on a first date unless he wanted a restraining order against every potential girlfriend.

Third time’s the charm; Noah delivered an impeccable performance, greatly surprising Audrey who figured they would have to go at it for at least another hour. She detected a sudden surge of confidence from the way he stood, shoulders broad and she was happy for him; he was practically radiating and for once, he was impatient for the next day to come for a reason other than his arts literature class. Truth be told, he had never allowed himself to dream about the near future because expectations breed disappointment but he sensed in his gut that this time, this one time, the stars might just be lining up for him.

He took a large leap and hugged her tightly, the books she was holding squashed like pancakes against their chests. Audrey’s eyes widened, puzzled at the sudden display of affection.

He loved her so much for her willingness to put up with him. He knew, every now and then, he had his moments where neuroticism got the better of him and he knew it was hard for an overwhelming majority of people to keep up with him. But it was different with Audrey. She flawlessly followed the rhythm and even when she couldn’t, she’d catch up in no time. Not one moment has gone by where they have been out of sync with each other. Maybe it was due to the fact that they befriended each other when they were at their loneliest and most vulnerable. Regardless, she was easily Noah’s most cherished person in the world.

With the few inches he had over her and the dizzying strength of his embrace, she struggled to breathe properly, pushing him off her. She caught her breath and placed the books on his desk, one hand on her hips, as he scratched an invisible itch, waiting for her verdict – was he ready to venture into the world of dating or should he get a head start and peruse the internet for cat adoption centers?

A chuckle erupted from her throat. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I almost wanted to go on that date with you! Noah, that was perfect.”

Noah exhaled in relief and the corners of his mouth lifted up slightly, his gaze soft and warm. “All thanks to you... And hey, I know I only say it when you get my coffee order right but I love you, Audrey Jensen.”

She brought a hand to her chest and wiped a fake tear with her index finger. They didn’t say it to each other often because it was an unspoken mutual feeling. Communicating it through concern and gratitude was their way of saying ‘I love you’ and it has always been enough. Enough for Audrey anyways. Saying she loved Noah wasn’t that big of a deal, it was a natural occurence between best friends, wasn’t it? Sure, not even her parents have heard her proclaim her love for them in years so to gift Noah Foster with this long awaited ‘I love you’?

She couldn’t think of anyone more deserving.

“I love you too, dude.”


End file.
